


Marching On

by TheBlindBandit



Series: Down To Bismuth [5]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Aftermath, Ambiguously Shippy, Bubble Bath, Comrades in Arms, Corrupted Gems, Crystal Gems, Episode Tag, F/F, Moving On, Pearl Solidarity (Steven Universe), Post-Episode s05e29-32 Change Your Mind, Recovery, Spoilers for Episode: s05e29-32 Change Your Mind, Touchy-Feely, Welcome to earth, minor appearance by the diamonds, predictably lots of crying and lots of hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-17 15:50:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17563430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlindBandit/pseuds/TheBlindBandit
Summary: Garnet, Bismuth, and Pearl, and the end that is anything but."Change Your Mind" episode tag.





	Marching On

Garnet sits down and lets her feet dip into the pool.

In front of her, Bismuth and Biggs continue to splash around, somewhere between roughhousing and cuddling. And there, two quartzes stealing kisses and whispering to each other - it’s impossible not to smile. A small beryl she doesn’t know recognises one of the nephrites Steven befriended, and they both launch into excited conversation with Snowflake - good old Snowflake, an image of friendliness even while towering over most everyone around her.

It’s truly a sight to behold - what were once two sides of a bitter conflict, now merging near seamlessly. She wonders how long it will last, and hopes, of course, the answer is forever. It seems like a good day for wild optimism, after all.

“I still can’t quite believe it,” Pearl’s murmur interrupts her reverie as she sits down next to Garnet. “After all this time, after everything… This is real, isn’t it? I keep waiting for it to break down like some sort of- of illusion, or very advanced hologram. Or I think, oh, I must be stuck in one of my daydreams again–”

“It’s real,” Garnet affirms, and realises she needs the reassurance as much as Pearl does. The stone of the pool’s rim is solid against the gems in both her palms, the sleeve of Pearl’s new jacket brushes against her upper arm as she moves to sit closer, and one of Pearl’s bony knees knocks lightly against hers as their legs are buoyed by the fountain water.

She notices, too, how Pearl very carefully keeps her eyes from straying up, from lingering too long on the looming and still ominous forms of the Diamonds. Even when, for all intents and purposes, they appear to be sitting and pleasantly chatting amongst themselves.

A glimpse of bright, warning yellow and her mind returns, unbidden, to the victims of the experiments, the shards forced into an unimaginably cruel mockery of fusion. Old friends and foes both who they still have no way of helping. But they _will_ , they will find a way - Garnet, for one, has no intention of giving up.

And there, of course - Blue Diamond, who’s figured prominently in near all of her more nightmarish visions, so many of which ended with her split, torn apart, half of her and consequently all of her shattered. For thousands of years she’s been the face of Garnet’s - and Ruby’s, and Sapphire’s - worst fears, and the convenient embodiment of every vicious word, every scornful look, every bit of disgust aimed at everything Garnet is and chooses to stand for. She’s reminded, too, of Korea, and visions of the blue phantom haunting an overgrown pink palanquin spelling near certain doom, and how badly she’d almost failed Steven, failed all of them.

Having her be here, having to face her, while not really facing her at all…

No. _This_ , this is a moment of joy, so very long in coming. Garnet is not allowing _her_ to ruin it, not allowing _her_ to take this from her. She is herself, reunited, stronger than she’s ever been.

“I understand,” Pearl says softly, one soothing hand over Garnet’s clenched fist, and Garnet feels certain that she does. “It’s hardly the first time I’ve seen them play nice. Though it does seem to be different now, with Steven… Well, it certainly can’t hurt to be careful, not around them. Especially White.”

Garnet feels Pearl shudder next to her, and remembers the pink pearl curled up in a corner of the ship’s command bridge all the way back to Earth, quiet and lost, numbly tracing the cracks on her face. Remembers - or doesn’t really, and isn’t sure which is worse - what it felt like, being taken over, her light refracted and forcibly shifted into a spectrum entirely unnatural for her gems–

“Hey, come here,” Garnet says, with an arm around Pearl’s shoulders and what she hopes is a timely intervention. For both of them.

“Wait,” Pearl stops her with a hand lightly pressed against her chest. “Wait just a moment.”

So Garnet does, even if it’s odd and Pearl is not usually one to decline contact. But then, it’s been an odd day, even if in the most wonderful of ways.

Pearl stretches to reach something behind them, and turns around, the very last of the bubbles in her hands.

A pink one - one of Rose’s old ones, containing what seems to be a chalcedony.

It’s not someone they knew before, no long-lost and mourned comrade. It’s not someone Garnet remembers facing on the battlefield, either, nor does she have any particular recollection of fighting and bubbling her corrupted form. Must have been one of the earliest ones, when they’d go out, all three of them, and fight off and bubble dozens of corrupted Gems at a time, not daring to stop until they found themselves utterly drained and forced to.

Garnet remembers the silences afterwards, too, all of them steeping in the horror of their new reality, and the worst loneliness she’s ever experienced while still being together as herself.

She’s spent so long blaming herself for not Seeing, for not being able to warn all of them of the coming attack. Of course, now she knows she never could have, as kept in the dark as she’d been by (oh, it still stings) two of the Gems closest to her. But she’s had thousands of years to wonder what could have been, to agonise over her perceived failure of perception, when so many and so much had relied on her for it.

She now knows, too, how long Pearl has spent blaming herself for the corruption, blaming herself for going along with the fake shattering plan despite her own misgivings, for being the one to raise Rose Quartz’s sword against Pink Diamond and strike that final blow.

Pearl takes Garnet’s hand and presses it against the bubble she’s holding, and Garnet understands her intent immediately.

They lower it into the water, together, and, shoulder to shoulder, watch it slowly float away towards the others.

The bubble pops soon enough, and the chalcedony reforms, confused, backing up into a nearby trio of quartzes who gladly accept her among themselves. Garnet allows herself a long exhale, and feels Pearl stir next to her. This was the last bubble they had for the moment, true, but it won’t be the last they deal with.

“There’s still a lot of corrupted Gems out there. We’ll need to find and bubble them all, and bring them back here…”

“Garnet,” Pearl stops her, a gentle but insistent hand pulling Garnet’s down from where she was adjusting her glasses, well on her way towards gazing into several possible future paths. “You can stop looking. Just for a little while.”

Garnet breathes out a tiny laugh. “Never thought I’d hear you of all Gems say that. Must be that wild New Pearl showing.”

“Yes, well,” Pearl’s face is bright blue, but she is the picture of determination, “I _know_ , I know we’ll manage. Look at how much we’ve already accomplished! There’s a lot still to be done, yes, but look at how many helping hands we’ll have!

“So just for a little while,” Pearl repeats, and tangles her fingers in Garnet’s. “Just let yourself be here, and _now_ , with us.”

Garnet sighs, and slowly closes all three of her eyes. “I can’t argue with that.”

She allows herself to be anchored.

The rings on her fingers, still new but such a wonderfully familiar small, cool weight; and Pearl’s hands on hers, a familiar bid for and offer of reassurance both, but stronger and more certain than ever; and the familiar wafting floral scent surrounding them, always cloaking Rose’s favourite sanctuary; and all around them the long-lost laughter and conversation and reunions and exclamations of surprise, of confusion, of love, of–

 _We’ve already won_ , Steven’s clear and joyful voice rings back to her, from when he’d sung at the awkwardly timed beach concert. A triumph so very different from the images painted by Pearl’s dramatic proclamations on the Strawberry Battlefield, but one Garnet is more than prepared to take and work with.

Garnet sits, Pearl at her side, and lets herself bask in the feeling of this victory that is only a beginning.

–

They don’t really remember any of it, and Bismuth supposes that’s a mercy.

She’s always been one for touching, for hugging, for an arm slung around a back or a playful elbow to the side or a supportive hand laid gently on a shoulder. It’s something that has always come naturally to her, something that’s just always made sense.

So she spends most of the day wrapped up in old friends, both literally and figuratively. Some of them throw themselves into it eagerly, and it’s almost as if they’ve never been apart, over five thousand missed years gone, just like that. But some are uncomfortable, unfamiliar additions to their forms making them reluctant to join in the revelry. The way Biggs flinched when Bismuth’s hand brushed against one of her horns while ruffling her hair, well–

Bismuth is thankful that knowing when to back off has always been something that just made sense to her, too.

But they’ll work on it all, together, just like they used to. It’s only been less than a day, after all, and this is so much more than a second chance.

When the sun starts setting, she bids everyone a brief goodbye as she moves to accompany Steven and the others back to the Temple (though warping around with _Diamonds_ still hasn’t become any less surreal). It’s been agreed that the fountain grove is the best place to have everyone stay for the moment, but Bismuth already has plans, has taken the time to check which old bases are salvageable, and even to scout out some new locations, both remote ones and ones close enough to human settlements to allow for mingling - stars, she’s ready to work with wood if that’s what it takes!

Speaking of wood-

The light of the warp clears, and she finds they’ve warped up onto Obsidian’s hand, the beach house she’s so proud of fixing up far below them. The view in general is pretty spectacular, and Bismuth gives herself a moment to enjoy it along with the fresh sea breeze in her hair, as the diamond part of their group prepares to return to their ships and leave. She magnanimously doesn’t even make a quip about how missed they _won’t_ be.

A flash of teal draws her attention next, as Pearl decides to start fussing over those strange white machines the giant hand is also holding.

“One day you’re gonna _have_ to tell me what those are for,” she laughs, and is glad to see Pearl smile back. “By the way - love the jacket, Pearl. It suits you. We were kind of busy back there, giant feet stomping on us and all, so I didn’t get to tell you. Really catches the eye.”

“Oh! Thank you.” Pearl looks at her over her shoulder, and there is a small blue blush playing around her cheeks. “It’s… there’s quite a story there, actually.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m here, and up for hearing it anytime.”

Pearl abandons the machines to stroll over and stand next to her, looking out over the sea, brow furrowed into a worried frown. “Maybe… a bit later. There’s someone who needs my help right now.”

And indeed, the pink pearl hasn’t moved from her spot since they warped in, pressed against the large stone pinky finger, wringing her hands nervously, and looking as lost as she had when Bismuth had helped her up to the leg ship back on Homeworld.

“Hey,” Bismuth pulls Pearl back with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you let me help, too?”

“Huh?”

“It’s just that…” she runs a hand through her hair, sending colourful locs tumbling. “I’ve been thinking about what we could do for her and, well, I might know a thing or two about waking up after missing five thousand years, you know? And so do the others.”

“Oh,” Pearl says, very softly. “You’re right. I’ll make sure to let her know she should talk to you if she wants to. Thank you… thank you for offering.”

Her eyes are big and shining with tears, and Bismuth doesn’t really understand what could have prompted that just now. “Uh, Pearl? You okay?”

In response, Pearl throws her arms around her as best as she can and buries her face in her chest. “Thank you for caring about her, for thinking of her,” she mumbles. “It means a lot to me.”

“Aw, come on, Pearl,” Bismuth smiles through her own impossible-to-resist tears, and it is certainly bittersweet. She’s aware enough to know that not many would think twice about a lost, damaged pearl, and aware enough to know she hates it. But instead of anger, she pushes out a chuckle, and tells herself it’s for Pearl’s sake. “Of course I care. It’s what I do. The weapons and all of that stuff? That’s just a side gig.”

“Oh, Bismuth,” Pearl near wails, still clinging to her. “How did we ever manage without you?”

The words send a jolt through her. “I don’t know, I guess you…” Bismuth trails off, frowning, unable to make it into a joke. It feels like Pearl’s hit on an old wound completely by accident.

She doesn’t get the chance to really make sense of all of it, however.

“Here,” Garnet appears, out of nowhere - how could they have possibly missed her warping in? - a blanket in her hands. “This’ll help.”

Bismuth looks from Garnet, to Pearl, to her own hand pressed against Pearl’s trembling back, against that bright yellow star–

“I’m sorry,” she finally says.

“Whatever for?” Pearl asks, looking up at her, wide-eyed and confused and still blotchy blue and smudged with tears.

So she tries again. “I’m sorry I… I went and got myself bubbled, and I left you to deal with… all of this, for so long. I should have been there with you. For you.”

“Bismuth! How could that _possibly_ be your fault?” Pearl sounds almost outraged, and it feels oddly… validating.

There’s a lump in her throat, and Bismuth struggles to answer around it. “I don’t know, I just… that’s what it feels like sometimes. I think, hey, the last time I saw Biggs was, what, a week ago? For you it’s been thousands of years. And you had to go and… find everyone, and _fight_ them. It doesn’t seem fair.”

“A lot that happened wasn’t fair,” Garnet answers evenly and diplomatically, but Bismuth knows her well enough to detect the strain of strong emotion in her voice.

“You’re right. But we’re fixing it! And we’re not gonna stop,” she senses some of her own fire slowly return, and Pearl’s arms still around her only make her bolder, as does Garnet’s gaze on her, that she can just _feel_ even from behind those glasses. “And maybe I trust White Diamond about as far as I can throw her, but we know we can keep her in check now. I’ll take it. Just gotta keep an eye on her.”

Garnet nods. “This is just the start. There is so much work to be done.”

It feels like the opening she’s been waiting for, and Bismuth rushes in. “Oh, you _bet_! I was thinking, and we’ll have to hash out a bunch of stuff with the humans, too. First, though, we gotta work out who wants to go, who wants to stay… who’s-” Another catch in her throat, and Bismuth has to admit it’s hard to keep suppressing it on this already pretty damn overwhelming day. “Who’s still missing.”

Garnet takes her hand between hers, and instead of Sapphire’s cold and Ruby’s warmth, there’s just _Garnet_ , with a spark and a bit of static. Grounding and comfort for them both.

“When Steven unbubbled me,” Bismuth starts again, slowly, “I swore to myself, I promised I’d help them. Whenever that day came. And yeah, maybe I didn’t dare hope it’d be so soon, but… I’m more than ready.”

“As are we,” Garnet confirms, and Pearl nods, utterly resolute.

“So that’s settled, then,” Bismuth says, and throws an arm around each of them. “Time to build.”

–

It isn’t long after the diamond ships have vanished into the atmosphere and further, and Steven sat the remaining Legs down on the Temple hill, giggling and taking Connie’s pose suggestions. The beach is calm, calmer than Pearl can remember it being in quite a while. Or, well, that might just be her, mightn’t it?

She’s left her pink counterpart sitting up on the statue’s hand and gazing out at the sea, wrapped in that blanket Garnet had brought in all her foresight, clearly drawing an immense amount of comfort from it. Their conversation was brief - mostly Pearl trying to explain a series of quite convoluted events as best as she could, while the- while Pink Pearl tried her best to make sense of it all. Or any of it. It was hard, trying not to overwhelm her.

In the end, she requested to be left alone for a while. So Pearl acquiesced, leaving her with a reminder of others who could offer understanding, and a blanket.

It sits strangely with Pearl, still. She looks at Pink and thinks _I could have been her_ and _She could have been me_. Thousands of years of… _that_ , and for what? Stars know Pearl herself has done far, far worse, and has gotten away- not unscathed, perhaps, but still. It was purely luck, and Pearl hated that, same as how it was purely luck that she happened to be _just_ close enough to Rose when the corruption struck. A few steps further away, and–

Well. Maybe she’d be waking up now, gazing in wonder at Rose’s fountain, restored to her form, but not quite. She’s rather morbidly wondered - of course she has, it was impossible not to when faced with the reality of the corruption near every day - what she would have been twisted into. Has indulged in imagining it being some flying, winged, soaring thing. Imagined Rose setting out to find her herself, refusing to let others interfere, to–

Pearl shakes her head decisively and hopes to also shake off the creeping thoughts. Honestly, what a thing to think about! And now of all days! This is exactly the kind of - what did Amethyst call it - _luggage_ that she is determined to leave behind for good.

No point in dwelling on anything now, anyway. Bismuth was right, there is so much to be done! The thought is both terrifying and incredibly buoying, and Pearl continues her walk up to the house with a renewed spring in her step.

She hasn’t even had time to start properly inspecting the additions to the rebuilt beach house when she hears Bismuth from just under the porch.

“And what have we got here?” Bismuth lets out a whistle through her teeth. “Pearl, come see!”

She doesn’t sound worried, but Pearl is at her side in seconds, hands itching for her spear, or a sword, not sure what to think at all.

“Oh.”

Hiding under the stairs leading up to the house are two very familiar pearls. Yellow has taken a pointedly protective stance in front of Blue, and seems to be insistent on glaring up at Bismuth disapprovingly.

“Stowaways, huh?” Bismuth puts an arm around Pearl as soon as she is within reach, and Pearl appreciates it, the familiarity of it, in these wonderfully wild new times. “What do you say, _terrifying renegade_? Think they might be looking for you?”

“We…” Yellow stammers, stops, looking trembly and horrified in a way Pearl recognises and remembers very well. But then Blue leans in closer, takes Yellow’s hand and gives it a slight squeeze, and the trembling stops.

And _that_ Pearl recognises too, and allows herself a very sentimental smile.

“We’ve decided!” Yellow straightens up and starts again, nose in the air, sounding much more like her usual self. “We have decided to… disregard… the instructions our Diamonds left us with. And, well, their behaviour has been _remarkably_ erratic recently, all things considered– and we thought, that is, we–”

“We snuck into the ships when they weren’t looking,” Blue picks up, voice as soft as ever. “And then we snuck out of them. It wasn’t very hard.”

“Yes. We are here,” Yellow proclaims with all the gravity of announcing a diamond council decision to an entire court, “to have ‘fun’.”

One hand is splayed at her chest and the other is still firmly holding Blue’s. The sight of them, the ridiculousness of the statement, combined with the weight of meaning behind it, all make Pearl feel torn between bursting into giggles and bursting into tears. Instead, she lets the light, almost floaty feeling that has been bubbling deep in her all day mix with a sudden onslaught of endless fondness, and she gives them her best approving and hopefully encouraging smile.

“Running away to Earth, hm? Leaving behind palaces and diamond courts and throne rooms, both eager and terrified to try out the uncharted life of an ownerless pearl, to get a taste of freedom? And who knows what sort of strange and wonderful characters you might meet on that wild, peculiar planet!” She’s sure she only sounds a _tiny_ bit choked up. Bismuth is only rubbing her back because she knows her so well and can always, always tell.

“Oh,” Pearl barely manages a whisper, “do I _ever_ have a story to tell you. But most of all… most of all I can’t _wait_ to see where yours goes from here.”

She thinks of the endless potential in each of them, of the longed-for growth and dreamed-of change. Of the sanctuary and the fresh start and the second chance that this planet is becoming, and of the seeds planted on Homeworld, already sprouting. She thinks of how far they’ve all come, and how far they’ve yet to go. Of how she can again say such simple and once mundane things as _Larimar was just here, she said to send you over to Crazy Lace, and that you owe her a lookout duty swap_ , and how all this is just a small first step.

 _Some_ of it must be showing on her face some way or other - really, she probably looks a mess again. The two pearls are staring at her strangely, and even Bismuth seems a bit bemused. But it’s been a highly trying and emotional few days, what do they expect?

Pearl clears her throat, smooths her ruffled hair back, and extends a hand.

“Welcome to Earth.”


End file.
